Razor-blade sharpener



Oct. 28, 1930u A A *ENGLISH l v 1,779,596

RAZOR BLADE SHARPENER Filed April 16, 1928 Patented ct. 28, 1930 maar A. ENGLISH, or cIIIcAeo, ILLINOIS mon-BLADE snnrnnn'a Application liled April 16,

space, which will operate eiiiciently. for a long time, and which is extremely inexpensive Ito manufacture. y

One form of the invention is presented herein for the purpose of exemplication, but it will of course be appreciated that the invention issusceptible of embodiment in other :forms coming equally within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawin Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the Sharpener; i

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view, taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view, taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the bottom cover plate;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the rollers; and

n Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the i blade-positioning members.

As will be observed in the drawing, the Sharpener is enclosed within a rectangular sheet metal casing 10, and includes two soft sharpening rollers 11 and-12. Each of the rollers is made up of a metal rod 13, a solid rubber body 14 about then rod, a sponge rubber covering 15 about the body, and a fabric strip 16 about the' coverin which strip is impregnated or coated wit emery, carborundum, or other abrasive material, and is wound about the covering in the form of an open helix. The sponge rubber covering, instead of entirely encasing the solid rubber body from end to end, may be wound thereon-like the fabric-in the form of an open helix, in which case the fabric vwill entirely overlie the s onge rubber covering.

60 The ends o the rods in the rollers are jour- 1928. Serial N0. 270,171.

naled in apertures 17 in two end plates 18, with the two rollers in frictional engagement with each other. The end plates lit snugly into the ends of the casing and are held in position by a bottom cover plate 19'. The cover plate is provided with side flanges 20 which have apertures 21 into which inwardly pressed tongues 22 on the sides of the casing are adapted to snap resiliently when the cover plate is moved into a position wherein the ottom of the same is ilush with the bottom edges of the casing. The metal rod within one of the rollers extends through an a cr ture 23 in one end of the casing and is o set exteriorly of the same to form a handle 24. The two rollers are compressed together when assembled, and when the handle is turned, the roller secured to the handle acts to turn the other roller, dispensing with any need for gearing.

The blade 25 to be sharpened is inserted between the rollers through. a slot 26`in the top of the casing, and is held in proper posi- .tion with respect to the rollers by means of two fiber members 27 which rest upon the 75 bottom cover late and extend upwardly into axially space grooves 28 in the rollers. The ber members have central blade-positioning portions 29 which extend upwardly in the portions of the grooves between the rollers to points a little above the axis of the same, and the lower edge of the blade rests upon the central portions of the members. The blade-positioning members are quite thin, with the result that very little of the edge of the blade comes into Contact with the same.

The sides of the casing are provided above the tongues 22 with depressions 30 which furnish convenient linger-engaging portions. Because of the soft, yielding character of the rollers,and the spaced,helical arrangement of the fabric strips on the same, a very effective stropping action on the blade is obtained.

To assemble the Sharpener, the two rollers are arranged in parallel engagement; the end plates are ositioned against the ends of the rollers wit the projecting ends of the rods disposed in the apertures in the plates; the extension `of the rod which forms the operating handle is passed through the aperture for the same in one end of'- the casing; the rollers and end plates are fitted into the casing, the blade-positioning members are fitted into the grooves in the rollers with the assembly inverted; and the bottom cover plate is snapped into position, holding the various parts of the assembly in proper relation to each other.

If for any reason it is desired to disassemble the Sharpener, the bottom coverplate can be disengaged easily from the casing-a small tool-engaging notch 31 being provided in one end of the plate for that purpose.

I claim:

l. In a device for sharpening a razor blade, two arallel sharpening rollers, means for rotating the rollers, and. means engageable with the cutting edge of a blade between the ends of the rollers for holding the blade in proper position between the rollers.

2. In a razor blade Sharpener, two parallel sharpening rollers having grooves therein, means for rotating the rollers, and means contained within the grooves in the rollers for holding a blade in proper position between the rollers.

3. In a razor blade sharpener, two parallel sharpening rollers having grooves therein,

means for rotating'the rollers, and thin fiber members contained within the grooves in the rollers for engaging with the edge of a blade and limiting the extent to which the blade can move between the rollers in the direction of rotation of the rollers.

4. In a razor blade Sharpener, two parallel sharpening rollers having circumferentially extending Agroovesv and axially pro- ]ecting trunnions, two parallel end plates fitting over the trunnions at .right angles to the axes of the rollers, anv o en bottom casing in which the rollers an end'plates are ositioned, two blade positioning members tting into the rooves in the rollers, and

- a bottom cover p ate for holding the rollers,

end plates and blade positioning members 1n position in the casing.

5. In a device for sharpening a safety razor blade, two closely arranged parallel sharpening rollers between which a blade is adapted to be positioned in substantially perpendicular relation to the plane which passes through the axes of the rollers, means for eiecting rotation of the rollers in opposite directions, and two upwardly facing bladesupporting seats positioned between the op.

posite ends of the rollers below the tops of the latter for limiting the extent to which the blade will be drawn down between the rollers upon rotation of the same.

6. A device for sharpening a safety razorblade,.consisting of a shallow generally rectangular open bottomed sheet metal casing having a long narrow slot in the center of the top thereof,`a flanged bottom plate for the casing releasabl held in position flush with the bottom o the casing, a pair of closely arranged parallel sharpening rolls having helically shaped sharpening peripheries and axially prolecting 'ournaling trun nions, members carrled by t e bottom plate in engagement with the trunnions for supporting the rolls within the casingka driving connection between the rolls for causing one roll to rotate the other, a pair of tongues projecting upwardly'-from the bottom late into grooves cut in the helically shape peripheriesof 4'the rolls for engagement with the lower edge of a blade whereby to support the latter in a position adjacent the horizontal plane extendin throughv the axes of the rolls, and a crank-s aped continuation of-one of the trunnions extending through a hole in one end ofthe casing to provide a turniig handle.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

ALBERT A. ENGLISH. 

